So here’s the deal, I’ve been trying since January to get a
summer job in a science related field, and have had zero luck. Now I’m not
positive, but I think my struggles are due to a few factors.
First of all, most lab positions require a mentor, someone
who runs the lab and is willing to take you on. You have to match to this
person, they have to want to hire you, and you have to want to work with them.
As a result, you could be incredibly qualified for this position, but if there
isn’t a lab you would work well in you aren’t going to get anywhere. It is really
frustrating to hear back from so many people “you were very qualified, but
unfortunately our final decisions were based on a match with various mentors.”
Wonderful, thanks gents.
Another reason is that so much of society is based on
results, while in research if you get results you got really lucky. That is why
so many people take forever to get a PhD, they have to put in hundreds of hours
throwing stuff at a wall and seeing what sticks before they start seeing
results. So on a resume, it will definitely look good if you published a paper
or did a poster presentation or anything like that, but the opportunity to do
that is based entirely on luck and whether you found anything of scientific
value.
Finally, applying for anything is a really tough process.
You write a cover letter, but that never truly shows your potential and work
ethic. I grant that it is probably the best these universities can do, but
applications can’t and never will totally show the entire student applying. I
am willing to bet that incredibly capable students (similar to me) get rejected
all the time simply because of the applicant pool. It’s disgustingly similar to
applying to college.
Moral of the story I guess is to just not take it personally
and keep trying. Don’t give up, many people have been in this position and many
more will be here as well!
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